Bought a Mini 2 about 3 months ago after having been very pleased with the Mini 1.


Unfortunatly with the mini 2 in sport mode there seems to be a wobbling "jello" effect which renders the video unusable. Everything works fine in C and N modes. I have done all calibrations, to try and get rid of this, but the problem presists. Firmware is up to date. This is out-of-the box. I haven't changed the propellers, no crashes, no damage, nothing. For me this is a pretty clear thats it's factory defective.


I contacted DJI and opened a case. The process to send the done in went smooth, however they have now quoted me saying that the gimbal is damaged, and this is not covered under warranty! How is it possible that the gimbal was damaged as it was filming great in C and N modes? I never sent it in for any damage repairs, only because of the jello effect video. From what I understand, a defective gimbal should be covered under warranty.  

I contacted a DJI rep, who asked me if I could prove that the gimbal was not damaged during shipping. The drone was packed in foam lined box (used for sending expensive Leica lenses) inside another box packed with bubble wrap. Unless the box was used by a bunch of elephants as a football, any damage to the gimbal during shipping is not possible. Besides, there are no signs of damage on the drone itself, as noted by your techs as well.


I was told I would be contacted after 2-3 day, but haven't recieved any update. Would appreciate an update as to what is going on. Video of the wobble is below (starts from 18s - 33s).


Thanks!


https://youtu.be/z1aefephjoU

Hi there, thank you for reaching DJI Forum. I was able to pull up the case and I am sorry to know about the issue you've encountered with your active case. On my end, I'll have this concern forwarded to our designated team for further assistance and follow-up, thank you in advance for your patience.

An update to this. After a bit of back and forth, DJI has sent me a replacement drone. Unfortunately the replacement has different problems and is much worse than the first!! I'm guessing this was a refurbished unit (sent with no box, wrapped in bubble wrap), but it must really have been taken from the reject pile...

Problem 1: Mega drifting is occurring! Both rotation and drifting to the left/right during flight. Not all the time, but maybe 30%. It sometimes seems to have an issue holding elevation as well during these times. I have been unable to correct this by doing multiple IMU calibrations, GPS calibrations (different locations, away from anything magnetic), as well as RC calibration. Letting go of the controls, drifts as well when hovering. In the video attached below you can see the video drifting to the left. I try to correct (movements to the right) a few times, but it continues to drift. At 54 seconds, I let go of the controls entirely, and the drone rotated on its own to the right.  

https://youtu.be/G7L9a1Kkl1Q

Problem 2: GPS navigation is completely off and unreliable. Again, done GPS calibration (away from anything magnetic, at 2 different locations) a number of times without seeing any difference. Sometime I'm shown the drone is behind me even though it is in front.

I have done multiple IMU calibrations, multiple GPS calibrations, as well as RC calibration with no change in results. I've had it out for tests on 3 separate days at 2 locations. Firmware is most recent version.     

Like I said, I was really pleased with the mini 1. The only issue with my original mini 2 was the jello effect. Now I've ended up with a totally defective replacement, and all after 1 month of waiting for the warranty replacement! I just want a mini 2 that works like it should

garfield3 Posted at 5-31 18:42
An update to this. After a bit of back and forth, DJI has sent me a replacement drone. Unfortunately the replacement has different problems and is much worse than the first!! I'm guessing this was a refurbished unit (sent with no box, wrapped in bubble wrap), but it must really have been taken from the reject pile...

Problem 1: Mega drifting is occurring! Both rotation and drifting to the left/right during flight. Not all the time, but maybe 30%. It sometimes seems to have an issue holding elevation as well during these times. I have been unable to correct this by doing multiple IMU calibrations, GPS calibrations (different locations, away from anything magnetic), as well as RC calibration. Letting go of the controls, drifts as well when hovering. In the video attached below you can see the video drifting to the left. I try to correct (movements to the right) a few times, but it continues to drift. At 54 seconds, I let go of the controls entirely, and the drone rotated on its own to the right.  

I feel sorry for the difficulties you had encountered, garfield3, I understand your frustration.
For the GPS navigation issue, please tell me more details about the case, I will try my best to help.
Regarding the drifting issue, please try to replace the propellers, calibrate the controller as well, and check if there is any abnormal input while you are not touching the sticks. If so, you may need to send the controller back for further diagnosis. If there is no abnormal input, I would suggest that you send the drone and controller back for an overall check.
Please start a new case again at https://repair.dji.com/repair/index, once you got the case number, please let me know, I will ask the local team to take care of your drone as soon as possible when they receive the unit.

I have sent the drone back to Texas, and now received the following reply:

"Dear Customer, Your device is within the normal tolerances and shows neither safety nor quality issues. If the problem occurs again, please contact our support for further assistance. - DJI North America"

I'm not sure what they mean here, will the drone be sent back to me as is? It doesn't fly straight, as in the video.

garfield3 Posted at 6-14 15:33
I have sent the drone back to Texas, and now received the following reply:

"Dear Customer, Your device is within the normal tolerances and shows neither safety nor quality issues. If the problem occurs again, please contact our support for further assistance. - DJI North America"

Hi there. Our engineer conducted a flight test, but it's unable to reproduce the problem you mentioned, so the aircraft will be sent back to you soon. You can test it again in a different environment after receiving the aircraft. If the problem still exists, please feel free to contact us. We will try our best to help.

Hello,

It's a pretty bad problem as I have shown in the video. How was this test done? How is this test being replicated? If you (or your test engineer) watch the video, how can this possibly be "within normal tolerances"?

What can I do to try and fix the problem? I have tried:

- Multiple IMU calibrations (different locations)
- Multiple GPS calibrations (different locations)
- Multiple controller calibrations
- changed propellers
- flown at different locations with the same result

I'm sorry, but I'm sending the drone back and forth to Texas just for fun. I'd like to get this problem resolved as there seems to be a very obvious issue with the replacement drone sent to me!!

garfield3 Posted at 6-15 08:06
Hello,

It's a pretty bad problem as I have shown in the video. How was this test done? How is this test being replicated? If you (or your test engineer) watch the video, how can this possibly be "within normal tolerances"?

We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused. We understand your concerns and we've forwarded it to the corresponding team for confirmation again. If there is any progress, we will keep you updated. Thanks for your patience in advance.

Here is another video of the drifting. The drone drifts to the left while flying straight in this video. At about 14 seconds, I let go of the controls completely and the drone drifts to the right for a while before stopping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVLOQJgXE0

garfield3 Posted at 6-17 10:01
Here is another video of the drifting. The drone drifts to the left while flying straight in this video. At about 14 seconds, I let go of the controls completely and the drone drifts to the right for a while before stopping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVLOQJgXE0

Hi, may I know if there is abnormal input of the control stick when you calibrate the controller?
In your case, we may suggest that you send the drone and controller back for a further check.